Among the many attractions in the city is the western half of the Ortigas Center, one of the major centers of business and commerce in the metropolis (the eastern half is in Pasig City). Found within the Mandaluyong portion of the Ortigas Center[3] is the main headquarters of the Asian Development Bank,[4][5]Banco De Oro, and the headquarters of San Miguel Corporation, Southeast Asia's largest food and beverage company. One of the most prominent pharmaceutical laboratories and factories, Unilab, is located here.[6]

One tells of how the place was abundant with a kind of tree called luyong, now more commonly known as '’anahaw (Saribus rotundifolius[7]), from which beautiful canes and furniture were made.

Another claims that the Spaniards named the place based on the report of a navigator named Acapulco, who saw the rolling hills frequently being lashed at by daluyong (“big waves from the sea”).[citation needed] This seems to confirm traditional pre-Hispanic stories that giant waves from the sea would meet the adjoining hills of the vast lowland, referred to as salpukan ng alon. Felix dela Huerta, a Franciscan historian, observed that the rolling topography of this land resembled giant waves of the sea. As with the etymological legends of many Philippine places, when the foreigners asked as to what the place was called, the locals answered with the description "madaluyong" ("undulating"), later transcribed by Spanish writers into "Mandaluyong" with the addition of an “n”.

Romantic residents, however, peddle the similarly formulaic legend of a Maharlika named Luyong who fell in love with Manda, the lovely daughter of a barangay chieftain. The chieftain had no personal liking for Luyong and forbade him Manda's hand. Luyong overcame this objection by winning a series of tribal contests which was the custom at the time. The couple settled thereafter in a place which was later called “Mandaluyong" by means of joining their names.[citation needed]

Mandaluyong was first known as a barrio of Sta. Ana de Sapa which was part of the District of Paco, Province of Tondo. Named San Felipe Neri by the Spaniards in honour of the patron saint of Rome, it was separated from Sta. Ana de Sapa in 1841.

During the American Occupation, San Felipe Neri was consolidated with the municipality of San Juan del Monte. For several months in 1904, San Felipe Neri became the capital of Rizal Province. However in 1907, San Felipe Neri became an independent municipality when it was partitioned from San Juan, and renamed the Municipality of Mandaluyong by virtue of House Bill № 3836. It achieved city status in 1994.

Mandaluyong is deemed as the "Tiger City" because of its vibrant business and economic activity. The city is home to a number of shopping centers, entertainment hubs, commercial establishments, high-rise offices, residential condominiums and hotels. The city is now one of the most important business and financial areas in the metropolis.[10]

Like other cities in Metro Manila, Mandaluyong has its own share of commercial strips and a central business district. The former commercial area, consisting mostly of banks, offices and service establishments, stretch along public transport routes thereby serving both local consumers and passers-by from the neighboring localities. Major commercial strips of the city include the stretch of Boni Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Libertad-Sierra Madre area, Kalentong, San Francisco, part of Martinez, Sgt. Bumatay towards Barangka Drive and Pinatubo towards EDSA. Mandaluyong's central business district is concentrated on the EDSA-Shaw-Pioneer area.[11]

Industrial activities are mostly concentrated within the Shaw Boulevard-Pioneer area and along the Pasig River. Although prominent in the manufacture of foods, medicines and laboratory equipment, these industries are gradually declining in number, opting to relocate in newly developed industrial zones outside Metropolitan Manila. In the Pasig River area, particularly in Barangays Namayan and Mabini J. Rizal, areas formerly industrial are now the sites for residential subdivisions and townhouses. In the EDSA-Shaw-Pioneer area, the transformation is toward a more economically profitable and globally competitive commercial activity. And, since 2013, Mandaluyong is the home of one of the largest television networks in the country, TV5. [12]

The City of Mandaluyong is known for being the "Shopping Capital of the Philippines", it is home to a cluster of shopping centers which stand side by side.[13][14] These shopping malls plays an important role in the economy of the city.

SM Megamall - is a large shopping mall located in the Ortigas business district of Metro Manila. It one of the largest SM Supermall developed and operated by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall operator in the Philippines owned by Henry Sy. The mall has two buildings interconnected with a bridge. The SM Megamall is the largest shopping mall in the country with a floor area of 500,000 m2 (5,400,000 sq ft).[15] The mall has a maximum capacity of 4 million people, it is as large as the Changi Airport Terminal 2 in Singapore.

The Podium - an upscale shopping center located along ADB Avenue at the heart of the Ortigas Center, a major business and commercial district in Mandaluyong City. It was developed in December 2001 and officially opened in August 2002 as a joint project of Singaporean company, Keppel Land and SM Prime Holdings, the parent company of SM Supermalls.[16]

Forum Robinsons - is a specialty mall within Cybergate, a modern business and residential complex at the corner of EDSA and Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong. The shopping center highlights information technology product categories.[17]

St. Francis Square Mall - is one of the notable shopping center in the city, the mall is a modern low-rise building holding a 3,000 capacity auditorium and houses over 1,000 stalls and stores.

Mandaluyong is served by the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), Metro Manila's main thoroughfare. Considered as the heart of the metropolis, main roads such as the Ortigas Avenue and Shaw Boulevard provide inter-city linkages, while Boni Avenue and Martinez Street (C-3 Road) serve as alternate routes in the city.[21] Other major roads in Mandaluyong include Pioneer Street and Julia Vargas Avenue. Jeepneys are one of the most popular mode of public transportation for commuters in the city. Aside from jeepneys, tricycles and pedicabs are also one of the important modes of public transportation in Mandaluyong, especially on alleys around the city.

The presence of the Pasig River stretching along the south border of Mandaluyong provides an alternative route and mode of public transportation mainly for cargo freight of industries along the river, and for commuters seeking for a faster and more direct route to and from the cities of Pasig and Manila.[22] The Pasig River Ferry Service has one station in the city.

Mandaluyong has several private and public hospitals & health center, namely the privately owned Dr. Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center along EDSA and Unciano General Hospital, and the government hospital Mandaluyong City Medical Center. The city is also home to the Philippine’s prime[citation needed] psychiatric health institution, the National Center for Mental Health. Many residents, specifically the middle-to-upper class medical clientele visits the nearby Medical City in Ortigas Center.

The Dr. Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center is a tertiary care hospital that has a 189-bed capacity within its 10-storey hospital building.

Other colleges in the city include the Our Lady of Guadalupe Colleges (specializing in Medicine and Nursing), STI and AMA (both specializing in Computer Technology education, both located on Shaw Boulevard), NAMEI Polytechnic Institute (specializing in Marine Sciences), and the International Baptist College.